The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-04-15


truer was ever said than that English
men take their pleasure sadly" and, it
might be added, slowly as we'll They
ill get into smoking carriages in rail-
way trains, and ten men, many of
them travelling in pairs, will sit for
hours in gloomy silence, and looking
as if they were all going to attend a
funeral. 1t is amusing to see an En-.
glisbman walk into bar room alone,
call for long drink of whisky or BRAN
dy aud soda, and spend 20 minutes in
slowly slipping il meanwhile he studies
his boots carefully, with most ab-
jectly miserable expression. Mind you,
l don't say that all Englshmen do this,
but those who do not are the excep-
tions that prove the rule.
But to get back to the House of
Commons. | was struck, as l say, by
the fact that this was not the case in
the House dining-rooms. Several men
shouted out for my host to come and
join them at table in hearty, CHEEKY
way, "quite Yankee, you know" and
we finally settled Gown with two men
at a table as / have said. My host
was young member of the Conserva-
tive party, who had succeeded his faith
er in the House (whether for the same
district or not l do not know, when
his sire was elevated to the peerage
and joined the Upper House. Our
companions were, one of them, an el-
derly gentleman, a member of the Con
servstive Government at present in
office, and middle aged gentleman,
who is one of the whips of the Liberal
party. From that fact you will gather
as / did, that party opinions do not
affect social relations among the men,
bers, and the conversation around me
proved that political discussions are
reserved for tho floor of the House,
and by common consent are not con-
tinued over the dinner table. Taking
them altogether, the men around me,
whose faces / could study to better
advantage here than from the Visitors
Gallery, were very representative
looking lot. Far more 80, in fact, than
the same men at the House of Repre-
sentatives in dear old Washington, I
think even the Irish members compare
favorably with their colleagues who
represent New York city in the House.
II would be hard to duplicate 'the
Hon. Tim Campbell" among them, l
assure you.
But the thing that struck me most,
and it would take columns to detail the
little things which went to create tina.
impression, was the air of absolute
democracy that prevailed. l have
called it an air, it certainly was an
atmosphere. In fact, there was an
even greater feeling of one man as
good as another there than I ever re-
member having experienced at home,
even when I take into consideration
that it was entirely unexpected. and
the conditions of time and distance
which may have affected me. There
can be no doubt that the late Henry
Ward Beecher was right when he eI-
pressed the opinion during his last
visit, that England is freer country
than America Oakley Hall too, who
has lived here long time now, is en-
phatic in his expression of the opinion
that England is eminently the
country of personal liberty.
In the conversation at dinner play
ed the part of witness, and l was
submitted to rigid cross-examination
as to the methods OF party-or rather
machine-politics in America NV
friends thought some of our ways bet
ter than theirs, and vice yersa. There
was no prejudice, no Insofar feeling,
only desire to learn, and, if suitable
to the different conditions, apply any
of our ways to their needs.
In one thing Parliament is far and
away ahead of the house, perhaps in
more than one thing, but in the respect
of being a school of debate it is the
first body In the world. And this is
brought about by the excellent rule
that the members of the Cabinet must
be sitting members OF the legislative
body. More than this, they must 90
to their constituents for endorsement
again after they accept office, and, hav-
ing been returned and taken their
places in the Government, they must
come into the House and defend their
policy on all matters of moment. The
result is that it is a constant fencing
match it is daily encounter; attack
and defense sharpen the ~its and en-.
courage skill in debate. This constant
friction of brains cannot help but be
pr ductive of good results. Another
point in it is land one which, curiously
enough, accounts for the fact that the
art of interviewing by newspaper men
is unknown in England), that the Min
listers must answer all the questions put
to them by Members. And l can as
sure you the opposition put them
through a course of sprouts that the
checklist newspaper reporter America
ever produced would not dare 10 do.
These questions AID answers being
published in full, all the papers aud the
public get the benefit of them, and the
intervewer's Office is gone. Mean
while the nation watch this game of
fence attentively, and when the Minis
ters are inadequate to the defense of
their position, Parliament is dissolved
aud the question is at once asked the
people, whether they do or do not APP
prove the course OF The Government. 1t
is complete and perfect government
of the people by the people. There is
no waiting two to four years for the
constituents of man or Of a party to
express their disapprobation and turn
him out of Office after the mischief has
been done.
Well, truce 10 politics; only let
me add, my dinner was good, the com.
pany better, and the moon shone
brightly when once more emerged
from the door under the clock in The
tower.
Many anecdotes are told of the Ger.
man Emperor in connection with his
birthday. Here is one worth repeating
At the time of the Furstentag at
Frankfort, in 1868, King William was
one day walking in the neighborhood
of Baden Baden, accompanied by Bis
marck and a number of ladies aud gen
tlemen. Passing gypsy hut one of
ha In